‘Spirit of Somerset’

A recent donation to Matheny from The Friends of Matheny provided a brand new supply of augmentative communication switches, which are used by younger, non-verbal students such as six-year-old Jack Harter, shown here hitting a switch in response to a question from speech-language pathologist Christine Mayercik.

Matheny and The Friends of Matheny will be honored as two of 18 organizations receiving “Spirit of Somerset” Awards at a dinner and ceremony being held at the Grounds for Sculpture RATS Restaurant in Hamilton, NJ., tonight  [June 13].

The Rev. John Graf, co-chairman, in an interview in the Courier News, described the Spirit of Somerset Awards as “the perfect way for the Somerset County community to join together to celebrate the many accomplishments of these dedicated volunteers and business leaders.” Among the other honorees are Suplee, Clooney & Co., CPA, Westfield, NJ (business); Josh Pauls, member of the USA Paralympic sled ice hockey team (athletics/recreation); and Patricia Flannery, former mayor of Bridgewater, NJ (government).

Proceeds from the event will help support the Somerset Treatment Services’ Strengthening Families and Pathways to Parenting program for women and children. The event is held in partnership with the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Both Matheny and The Friends, our auxiliary group, are receiving awards for education.

Reaching new heights

Matheny student Natalie Tomastyk makes her way up the wall.

Rock climbing is fun and challenging, and it’s an activity that can help improve concentration and raise self-esteem for children with disabilities. Those are some of the reasons Matheny students look forward to their annual visit to the climbing wall at the Midland School in North Branch, NJ. It’s a perfect opportunity to improve physical and occupational therapy skills, while also having a great time.

Thanks, Midland School, for a great afternoon!

Phys ed teacher Jim Hintenach, left, and occupational therapist Wendell Lumapas give student Yasin Reddick some pointers before he tackles the wall.

Arts Access at Bernardsville Library

Untitled, by Faith Stolz.

Twenty paintings by 15 different artists in Matheny’s Arts Access Program will be on display at the Bernardsville, NJ, Library from July 2-30. An opening reception will be held from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, July 9.

Arts Access enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators.  Paintings featured in the exhibition will be small and medium-sized abstract works on canvas. This display will provide Arts Access artists the opportunity to share their works with the Somerset Hills community. All proceeds from artwork sales are split 50/50, with half the funds going directly to the artist and the other half going to Matheny to cover the cost of art materials, stretching and framing of the work.

"The Ice C," by Ellen Kane.

 

Closing the sale

Rasheedah Mahali uses her eyes to “catch” prospects for Dawg Pound merchandise.

Rasheedah Mahali believes she is a natural salesperson. And her belief has turned into reality, as she is currently the top seller among all Matheny patients and students who work in the Dawg Pound, the shop that offers items such as coffee mugs and water bottles for sale to Matheny employees.

“I use my eyes to catch them,” she says mischievously, talking about how she snags Matheny staff members as they walk through the rotunda on the way back and forth to the staff dining room.

Mahali is now looking forward to Family Day on June 24 when she will be able try out her selling skills on parents and siblings. And she is also preparing for Deals at Dust, a special promotion in the works for the 3-11 p.m. staff. While she is happy to sell anything the Dawg Pound has to offer, she says she’s had the most success with notebooks and pens.

The Dawg Pound was started in 2009 to hone practical work skills of Matheny patients and students. Startup funds were provided by The Friends of Matheny and Village Office Supply of Somerset, NJ.

Trading places

After two years at the helm of The Friends of Matheny, our auxiliary group, June Cioppettini is passing the gavel to Liz Geraghty, whose daughter, Bozena, is a residential student at Matheny.

The transition in leadership and installation of officers for the 2012-13 season took place at The Friends’ annual luncheon held at the Roxiticus Golf Club in Mendham, NJ. Steve Proctor, Matheny president, thanked The Friends for their continuing support, pointing out some of the programs that couldn’t exist without their assistance. Geraghty expressed her admiration for The Friends’ legacy, which originated with a small group of women whose “time, effort and energy totally impressed me,” and said how grateful she was to be part of the Matheny family.

Since its inception in 1983, The Friends of Matheny has raised more than $3 million for the students and patients at Matheny.

Pictured are the new officers, from left: Jean Wadsworth, recording secretary; Andrea Szott, vice president, fundraising; Lisa Lee, vice president, fundraising; Geraghty; Dorothy Carter, vice president, membership; Lisa Novella, corresponding secretary; Nancy Hojnacki, vice president, membership; and Cioppettini.

First in New Jersey

Brenda receives her national certification from Cathy Church, director of nursing services, and Chris King, vice president of operations.

Professionals who care for people with disabilities know it’s a demanding job, and the turnover rate can be high. For that reason, the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities awarded a grant to the New Jersey Direct Support Professional Workforce Development Coalition to develop a program designed to reduce the turnovers through certification.

The pilot project involved staff members from nine agencies, and Matheny was one of those. Brenda Hoagland, a direct support trainer, agreed to be Matheny’s coordinator for this program. Through her leadership, Matheny has had more participants than any other agency in New Jersey, and Brenda has now become the first person in the state to receive national certification as a direct support professional. She is one of 20 such professionals in the entire country.

As proud as she is of her own accomplishments, Hoagland is delighted that other staff members have followed her lead. At a special gathering of Matheny employees to recognize her achievement, she presented Level 1 and Level II certifications to six Matheny staff members, who took online courses at the College of Direct Support, an internet-based college for direct support professionals.

From left, Brenda, Imelda Schroeder, a personal care assistant; Bernard Jaruga, a PCA; Frank Kitchen, a vehicle driver; Richard Cerreon, a PCA; and Steve Proctor, Matheny president. (Not pictured: certified staff members Liya Malatu, PCA, and Wondwassen Atnafu, driver.)

 

A real gym!

Matheny student Daeon Troutman enjoys the FHCDS climbing wall.

Matheny’s recent proposal for expansion and renovation, which did not receive approval by the Peapack-Gladstone Land Use Board, had included plans for a therapeutic gymnasium as well as an indoor therapeutic swimming pool. So, when the Far Hills Country Day School offered the use of its gymnasium for a group of Matheny students, it was welcomed enthusiastically.

Matheny students and staff members had previously visited FHCDS to demonstrate various adapted sports activities to a group of fourth graders, and FHCDS students regularly volunteer at Matheny. During the recent gym session, Matheny students were able to participate in sports activities difficult to experience in Matheny’s current recreation room.

Arts Access at J&J IT

"Answering Machine” by Faith Stolz.

More than 50 works of art created by 20 Arts Access artists will be on display from June 6 through the end of October at the Johnson & Johnson Information Technology Building at 1003 Route 202 North in Raritan, NJ. An invitation-only opening reception will be held from 2-3 p.m. on June 6.

Artwork will be shown on all four floors of the building and will include paintings, digital art and sculptures. Matheny’s Arts Access Program enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators. All proceeds from artwork sales are split 50/50 with half the funds going directly to the artist and other half going to Matheny to cover the cost of art materials, stretching and framing of the work.

Untitled by Kevin White.

 

Rewarding return to nursing

Judy Hahn, RN, with adult medical day patient John Edwards.

In June 2005, Judy Hahn, RN, began work as a per diem nurse at Matheny after a hiatus of 12 years from nursing. At first, the Long Valley, NJ, resident admits that, “I didn’t know if I could do it.” Her previous nursing experience had been as a pediatric nurse in a Bridgewater, NJ, doctor’s office before she pursued careers as a personal trainer and partner in a New York City-based multimedia company.

But, about three weeks into the new job, she realized “how much this population has to offer. I came to feel a certain responsibility toward the students and patients.” As she became more comfortable at Matheny, “it ‘made my day’ to know that I could get through to them.”

Then, in April 2011, Matheny’s adult medical day nurse retired, and Hahn moved into that role. Plus, she recently agreed to be the alternate for Matheny’s transitional nurse, Jeanne Lavelle, RN, who accompanies Matheny patients when it is necessary to transport them to an acute care hospital.

The transitional nurse position, made possible by a $300,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its New Jersey Health Initiatives program, involves following patients throughout their hospitalization at acute care facilities to make discharge planning easier and to foster development of resources needed for appropriate inpatient care and effective post-hospital transition. Matheny’s partners in this project are Morristown Medical Center in Morristown and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

“While it’s always hard to get your points across in an emergency room setting,” Hahn says, “once a patient is admitted, the hospital staffs are very appreciative of our presence. They thank us over and over because they don’t know our population. We’re seeing more continuity of care.  It’s not just a current situation; it’s the patient’s whole history that has to be dealt with.”

Since joining the nursing staff at Matheny, Hahn has never looked back. “I’m constantly amazed at what we are able to do as a team here,” she says, “and all the love that is given to our patients. All the employees here pull together for each other.”

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